By far the most common construction of a vehicle differential has a differential housing cast in one piece, and which has on its outside a mounting flange to which the differential crown wheel is securely screwed. The housing is made with assembly openings, through which the differential side gears and pinions can be inserted, and secondly, with opposing openings, through which the differential pinion shaft can be inserted and fixed. The housings of such differentials, however, are heavy and expensive to manufacture. Assembly is also relatively complicated.
It is previously known, for example in DE-OS-40 42 173, to make a differential housing of two pressed and joined sheet metal halves. The depressions in the differential housing halves have the shape of radially outwardly and inwardly open gutters that are slotted and have a radius somewhat less than the radius of the end portions of the differential pinion shaft. This provides a certain amount of flexibility and pretensioning against the end portions of the shaft when the housing halves are joined together. Final fixation of the differential pinion shaft in the housing is effected by welding at the same time as the crown wheel is welded to the housing. A differential with a differential housing produced in this manner is more simple to manufacture and assemble than a conventional differential with a cast differential housing, and is much lighter.